Event based transfer of did delegated authority

ABSTRACT

Embodiments are related to computing systems and methods for event based transfer of DID delegated authority. An indication is received that a first DID user is attempting to use a delegated DID on behalf of a second DID user. The first DID user has previously been delegated authority to use the delegated DID by operation of a legal relationship or a legal agreement between the first and second DID users. A determination is made if an event has occurred that has changed the legal relationship or the legal agreement between the first and second DID users. If an event has occurred, the delegation of authority to use the delegated DID is automatically revoked such that the first DID user is no longer able to use the delegated DID. If an event has not occurred, the first DID user is allowed to continue to use the delegated DID.

BACKGROUND

Most currently used documents or records that prove identity are issuedby centralized organizations, such as governments, schools, employers,or other service centers or regulatory organizations. Theseorganizations often maintain every member's identity in a centralizedidentity management system. A centralized identity management system isa centralized information system used for organizations to manage theissued identities, their authentication, authorization, roles andprivileges. Centralized identity management systems have been deemed assecure since they often use professionally maintained hardware andsoftware. Typically, the identity issuing organization sets the termsand requirements for registering people with the organization. When aparty needs to verify another party's identity, the verifying partyoften needs to go through the centralized identity management system toobtain information verifying and/or authenticating the other party'sidentity.

Decentralized Identifiers (DIDs) are a new type of identifier, which areindependent from any centralized registry, identity provider, orcertificate authority. Distributed ledger technology (such asblockchain) provides the opportunity for using fully decentralizedidentifiers. Distributed ledger technology uses globally distributedledgers to record transactions between two or more parties in averifiable way. Once a transaction is recorded, the data in the sectionof ledger cannot be altered retroactively without the alteration of allsubsequent sections of ledger, which provides a fairly secure platform.Since a DID is generally not controlled by a centralized managementsystem but rather is owned by an owner of the DID, DIDs are sometimesreferred to as identities without authority.

The subject matter claimed herein is not limited to embodiments thatsolve any disadvantages or that operate only in environments such asthose described above. Rather, this background is only provided toillustrate one exemplary technology area where some embodiments describeherein may be practiced.

BRIEF SUMMARY

This Summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in asimplified form that are further described below in the DetailedDescription. This Summary is not intended to identify key features oressential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended tobe used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subjectmatter.

Embodiments disclosed herein are related to computing systems andmethods for event based transfer of DID delegated authority. Anindication is received that a first DID user is attempting to use adelegated DID associated with a second DID user on behalf of the secondDID user. The first DID user has previously been delegated authority touse the delegated DID by operation of a legal relationship or a legalagreement between the first and second DID users that provides thedelegated authority. A determination is made if an event has occurredthat has changed the legal relationship or the legal agreement betweenthe first and second DID users. If an event has occurred, the delegationof authority to use the delegated DID is automatically revoked such thatthe first DID user is no longer able to use the delegated DID on behalfof the second DID user. If an event has not occurred, the first DID useris allowed to continue to use the delegated DID on behalf of the secondDID user.

Additional features and advantages will be set forth in the descriptionwhich follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or maybe learned by the practice of the teachings herein. Features andadvantages of the invention may be realized and obtained by means of theinstruments and combinations particularly pointed out in the appendedclaims. Features of the present invention will become more fullyapparent from the following description and appended claims, or may belearned by the practice of the invention as set forth hereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to describe the manner in which the above-recited and otheradvantages and features can be obtained, a more particular descriptionof the subject matter briefly described above will be rendered byreference to specific embodiments which are illustrated in the appendeddrawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typicalembodiments and are not therefore to be considered limiting in scope.Embodiments will be described and explained with additional specificityand details through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an example computing system in which the principlesdescribed herein may be employed;

FIG. 2 illustrates an example environment for creating a decentralizedidentification (DID);

FIG. 3 illustrates an example environment for various DID managementoperations and services;

FIG. 4 illustrates an example decentralized storage device or identityhubs;

FIG. 5 illustrates an example embodiment of a computing systemenvironment for event based transfer of DID delegated authority; and

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of an example method for event basedtransfer of DID delegated authority.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments disclosed herein are related to computing systems andmethods for event based transfer of DID delegated authority. Anindication is received that a first DID user is attempting to use adelegated DID associated with a second DID user on behalf of the secondDID user. The first DID user has previously been delegated authority touse the delegated DID by operation of a legal relationship or a legalagreement between the first and second DID users that provides thedelegated authority. A determination is made if an event has occurredthat has changed the legal relationship or the legal agreement betweenthe first and second DID users. If an event has occurred, the delegationof authority to use the delegated DID is automatically revoked such thatthe first DID user is no longer able to use the delegated DID on behalfof the second DID user. If an event has not occurred, the first DID useris allowed to continue to use the delegated DID on behalf of the secondDID user.

The embodiments disclosed herein represent a technical advance overexisting systems. For example, a first DID user may be given delegatedauthority to use a DID of a second DID user on behalf of the second userbased on a legal relationship between the first and second DID users orbased on a legal agreement between the DID users. However, an event mayoccur that may change the legal relationship or the legal agreement. Forexample, a child may reach the age of adulthood, a couple may divorce,or a legal agreement may be terminated. In such event, the second DIDuser may no longer desire that the first DID user have the delegatedauthority to use the second user's DID. Accordingly, upon occurrence ofan event that changes the legal relationship or the legal agreement, thedelegated authority is revoked, and control is returned to the seconduser. This increases user convenience and productivity as the second DIDis able to gain control over his or her DID. In addition, since thesecond user need not use computing resources in order to gain controlover his or her DID after an event, time and processing resources aresaved.

Because the principles described herein may be performed in the contextof a computing system, some introductory discussion of a computingsystem will be described with respect to FIG. 1. Then, this descriptionwill return to the principles of a decentralized identifier (DID)platform with respect to the remaining figures.

Computing systems are now increasingly taking a wide variety of forms.Computing systems may, for example, be handheld devices, appliances,laptop computers, desktop computers, mainframes, distributed computingsystems, data centers, or even devices that have not conventionally beenconsidered a computing system, such as wearables (e.g., glasses). Inthis description and in the claims, the term “computing system” isdefined broadly as including any device or system (or a combinationthereof) that includes at least one physical and tangible processor, anda physical and tangible memory capable of having thereoncomputer-executable instructions that may be executed by a processor.The memory may take any form and may depend on the nature and form ofthe computing system. A computing system may be distributed over anetwork environment and may include multiple constituent computingsystems.

As illustrated in FIG. 1, in its most basic configuration, a computingsystem 100 typically includes at least one hardware processing unit 102and memory 104. The processing unit 102 may include a general-purposeprocessor and may also include a field programmable gate array (FPGA),an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any otherspecialized circuit. The memory 104 may be physical system memory, whichmay be volatile, non-volatile, or some combination of the two. The term“memory” may also be used herein to refer to non-volatile mass storagesuch as physical storage media. If the computing system is distributed,the processing, memory and/or storage capability may be distributed aswell.

The computing system 100 also has thereon multiple structures oftenreferred to as an “executable component”. For instance, the memory 104of the computing system 100 is illustrated as including executablecomponent 106. The term “executable component” is the name for astructure that is well understood to one of ordinary skill in the art inthe field of computing as being a structure that can be software,hardware, or a combination thereof. For instance, when implemented insoftware, one of ordinary skill in the art would understand that thestructure of an executable component may include software objects,routines, methods, and so forth, that may be executed on the computingsystem, whether such an executable component exists in the heap of acomputing system, or whether the executable component exists oncomputer-readable storage media.

In such a case, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that thestructure of the executable component exists on a computer-readablemedium such that, when interpreted by one or more processors of acomputing system (e.g., by a processor thread), the computing system iscaused to perform a function. Such structure may be computer readabledirectly by the processors (as is the case if the executable componentwere binary). Alternatively, the structure may be structured to beinterpretable and/or compiled (whether in a single stage or in multiplestages) so as to generate such binary that is directly interpretable bythe processors. Such an understanding of example structures of anexecutable component is well within the understanding of one of ordinaryskill in the art of computing when using the term “executablecomponent”.

The term “executable component” is also well understood by one ofordinary skill as including structures, such as hard coded or hard wiredlogic gates, that are implemented exclusively or near-exclusively inhardware, such as within a field programmable gate array (FPGA), anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or any other specializedcircuit. Accordingly, the term “executable component” is a term for astructure that is well understood by those of ordinary skill in the artof computing, whether implemented in software, hardware, or acombination. In this description, the terms “component”, “agent”,“manager”, “service”, “engine”, “module”, “virtual machine” or the likemay also be used. As used in this description and in the case, theseterms (whether expressed with or without a modifying clause) are alsointended to be synonymous with the term “executable component”, and thusalso have a structure that is well understood by those of ordinary skillin the art of computing.

In the description that follows, embodiments are described withreference to acts that are performed by one or more computing systems.If such acts are implemented in software, one or more processors (of theassociated computing system that performs the act) direct the operationof the computing system in response to having executedcomputer-executable instructions that constitute an executablecomponent. For example, such computer-executable instructions may beembodied on one or more computer-readable media that form a computerprogram product. An example of such an operation involves themanipulation of data. If such acts are implemented exclusively ornear-exclusively in hardware, such as within a FPGA or an ASIC, thecomputer-executable instructions may be hard-coded or hard-wired logicgates. The computer-executable instructions (and the manipulated data)may be stored in the memory 104 of the computing system 100. Computingsystem 100 may also contain communication channels 108 that allow thecomputing system 100 to communicate with other computing systems over,for example, network 110.

While not all computing systems require a user interface, in someembodiments, the computing system 100 includes a user interface system112 for use in interfacing with a user. The user interface system 112may include output mechanisms 112A as well as input mechanisms 112B. Theprinciples described herein are not limited to the precise outputmechanisms 112A or input mechanisms 112B as such will depend on thenature of the device. However, output mechanisms 112A might include, forinstance, speakers, displays, tactile output, virtual or augmentedreality, holograms and so forth. Examples of input mechanisms 112B mightinclude, for instance, microphones, touchscreens, virtual or augmentedreality, holograms, cameras, keyboards, mouse or other pointer input,sensors of any type, and so forth.

Embodiments described herein may comprise or utilize a special-purposeor general-purpose computing system including computer hardware, suchas, for example, one or more processors and system memory, as discussedin greater detail below. Embodiments described herein also includephysical and other computer-readable media for carrying or storingcomputer-executable instructions and/or data structures. Suchcomputer-readable media can be any available media that can be accessedby a general-purpose or special-purpose computing system.Computer-readable media that store computer-executable instructions arephysical storage media. Computer-readable media that carrycomputer-executable instructions are transmission media. Thus, by way ofexample, and not limitation, embodiments of the invention can compriseat least two distinctly different kinds of computer-readable media:storage media and transmission media.

Computer-readable storage media includes RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM, orother optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage, or other magneticstorage devices, or any other physical and tangible storage medium whichcan be used to store desired program code means in the form ofcomputer-executable instructions or data structures and which can beaccessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computing system.

A “network” is defined as one or more data links that enable thetransport of electronic data between computing systems and/or modulesand/or other electronic devices. When information is transferred orprovided over a network or another communications connection (eitherhardwired, wireless, or a combination of hardwired or wireless) to acomputing system, the computing system properly views the connection asa transmission medium. Transmission media can include a network and/ordata links which can be used to carry desired program code means in theform of computer-executable instructions or data structures and whichcan be accessed by a general-purpose or special-purpose computingsystem. Combinations of the above should also be included within thescope of computer-readable media.

Further, upon reaching various computing system components, program codemeans in the form of computer-executable instructions or data structurescan be transferred automatically from transmission media to storagemedia (or vice versa). For example, computer-executable instructions ordata structures received over a network or data link can be buffered inRAM within a network interface module (e.g., a “NIC”), and then beeventually transferred to computing system RAM and/or to less volatilestorage media at a computing system. Thus, it should be understood thatstorage media can be included in computing system components that also(or even primarily) utilize transmission media.

Computer-executable instructions comprise, for example, instructions anddata which, when executed at a processor, cause a general-purposecomputing system, special-purpose computing system, or special-purposeprocessing device to perform a certain function or group of functions.Alternatively, or in addition, the computer-executable instructions mayconfigure the computing system to perform a certain function or group offunctions. The computer executable instructions may be, for example,binaries or even instructions that undergo some translation (such ascompilation) before direct execution by the processors, such asintermediate format instructions such as assembly language, or evensource code.

Although the subject matter has been described in language specific tostructural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understoodthat the subject matter defined in the appended claims is notnecessarily limited to the described features or acts described above.Rather, the described features and acts are disclosed as example formsof implementing the claims.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention may bepracticed in network computing environments with many types of computingsystem configurations, including, personal computers, desktop computers,laptop computers, message processors, hand-held devices, multi-processorsystems, microprocessor-based or programmable consumer electronics,network PCs, minicomputers, mainframe computers, mobile telephones,PDAs, pagers, routers, switches, datacenters, wearables (such asglasses) and the like. The invention may also be practiced indistributed system environments where local and remote computing system,which are linked (either by hardwired data links, wireless data links,or by a combination of hardwired and wireless data links) through anetwork, both perform tasks. In a distributed system environment,program modules may be located in both local and remote memory storagedevices.

Those skilled in the art will also appreciate that the invention may bepracticed in a cloud computing environment. Cloud computing environmentsmay be distributed, although this is not required. When distributed,cloud computing environments may be distributed internationally withinan organization and/or have components possessed across multipleorganizations. In this description and the following claims, “cloudcomputing” is defined as a model for enabling on-demand network accessto a shared pool of configurable computing resources (e.g., networks,servers, storage, applications, and services). The definition of “cloudcomputing” is not limited to any of the other numerous advantages thatcan be obtained from such a model when properly deployed.

The remaining figures may discuss various computing system which maycorrespond to the computing system 100 previously described. Thecomputing systems of the remaining figures include various components orfunctional blocks that may implement the various embodiments disclosedherein as will be explained. The various components or functional blocksmay be implemented on a local computing system or may be implemented ona distributed computing system that includes elements resident in thecloud or that implement aspects of cloud computing. The variouscomponents or functional blocks may be implemented as software,hardware, or a combination of software and hardware. The computingsystems of the remaining figures may include more or less than thecomponents illustrated in the figures and some of the components may becombined as circumstances warrant.

Some introductory discussion of a decentralized identifier (DID) and theenvironment in which they are created and reside will now be given withrespect to FIG. 2, which illustrates portions of a decentralized network200. As illustrated in FIG. 2, a DID owner 201 may own or control a DID205 that represents an identity of the DID owner 201. The DID owner 201may register a DID using a creation and registration service, which willbe explained in more detail below.

The DID owner 201 may be any entity that could benefit from a DID. Forexample, the DID owner 201 may be a human being or an organization ofhuman beings. Such organizations might include a company, department,government, agency, or any other organization or group of organizations.Each individual human being might have a DID while the organization(s)to which each belongs might likewise have a DID.

The DID owner 201 may alternatively be a machine, system, or device, ora collection of machines, devices and/or systems. In still otherembodiments, the DID owner 201 may be a subpart of a machine, system ordevice. For instance, a device could be a printed circuit board, wherethe subparts of that circuit board are individual components of thecircuit board. In such embodiments, the machine or device may have a DIDand each subpart may also have a DID. A DID owner might also be asoftware component such as the executable component 106 described abovewith respect to FIG. 1. An example of a complex executable component 106might be an artificial intelligence. Accordingly, an artificialintelligence may also own a DID.

Thus, the DID owner 201 may be any entity, human or non-human, that iscapable of creating the DID 205 or at least having the DID 205 createdfor and/or associated with them. Although the DID owner 201 is shown ashaving a single DID 205, this need not be the case as there may be anynumber of DIDs associated with the DID owner 201 as circumstanceswarrant.

As mentioned, the DID owner 201 may create and register the DID 205. TheDID 205 may be any identifier that may be associated with the DID owner201. Preferably, that identifier is unique to that DID owner 201, atleast within a scope in which the DID is anticipated to be in use. As anexample, the identifier may be a locally unique identifier, and perhapsmore desirably a globally unique identifier for identity systemsanticipated to operate globally. In some embodiments, the DID 205 may bea Uniform Resource identifier (URI) (such as a Uniform Resource Locator(URL)) or other pointer that relates the DID owner 201 to mechanisms toengage in trustable interactions with the DID owner 201.

The DID 205 is “decentralized” because it does not require acentralized, third-party management system for generation, management,or use. Accordingly, the DID 205 remains under the control of the DIDowner 201. This is different from conventional centralized IDs whichbase trust on centralized authorities and that remain under control ofcorporate directory services, certificate authorities, domain nameregistries, or other centralized authority (referred to collectively as“centralized authorities” herein). Accordingly, the DID 205 may be anyidentifier that is under the control of the DID owner 201 and that isindependent of any centralized authority.

In some embodiments, the structure of the DID 205 may be as simple as ausername or some other human-understandable term. However, in otherembodiments, for increased security, the DID 205 may preferably be arandom string of numbers and letters. In one embodiment, the DID 205 maybe a string of 128 numbers and letters. Accordingly, the embodimentsdisclosed herein are not dependent on any specific implementation of theDID 205. In a very simple example, the DID 205 is shown within thefigures as “123ABC”.

As also shown in FIG. 2, the DID owner 201 has control of a private key206 and public key 207 pair that is associated with the DID 205. Becausethe DID 205 is independent of any centralized authority, the private key206 should at all times be fully in control of the DID owner 201. Thatis, the private and public keys should be generated in a decentralizedmanner that ensures that they remain under the control of the DID owner201.

As will be described in more detail to follow, the private key 206 andpublic key 207 pair may be generated on a device controlled by the DIDowner 201. The private key 206 and public key 207 pair should not begenerated on a server controlled by any centralized authority as thismay cause the private key 206 and public key 207 pair to not be fullyunder the control of the DID owner 201 at all times. Although FIG. 2 andthis description have described a private and public key pair, it willalso be noted that other types of reasonable cryptographic informationand/or mechanisms may also be used as circumstances warrant.

FIG. 2 also illustrates a DID document 210 that is associated with theDID 205. As will be explained in more detail to follow, the DID document210 may be generated at the time that the DID 205 is created. In itssimplest form, the DID document 210 describes how to use the DID 205.Accordingly, the DID document 210 includes a reference to the DID 205,which is the DID that is described by the DID document 210. In someembodiments, the DID document 210 may be implemented according tomethods specified by a distributed ledger 220 (such as blockchain) thatwill be used to store a representation of the DID 205 as will beexplained in more detail to follow. Thus, the DID document 210 may havedifferent methods depending on the specific distributed ledger.

The DID document 210 also includes the public key 207 created by the DIDowner 201 or some other equivalent cryptographic information. The publickey 207 may be used by third-party entities that are given permission bythe DID owner 201 to access information and data owned by the DID owner201. The public key 207 may also be used to verify that the DID owner201 in fact owns or controls the DID 205.

The DID document 210 may also include authentication information 211.The authentication information 211 may specify one or more mechanisms bywhich the DID owner 201 is able to prove that the DID owner 201 owns theDID 205. In other words, the mechanisms of the authenticationinformation 211 may show proof of a binding between the DID 205 (andthus its DID owner 201) and the DID document 210. In one embodiment, theauthentication information 211 may specify that the public key 207 beused in a signature operation to prove the ownership of the DID 205.Alternatively, or in addition, the authentication information 211 mayspecify that the public key 207 be used in a biometric operation toprove ownership of the DID 205. Accordingly, the authenticationinformation 211 may include any number of mechanisms by which the DIDowner 201 is able to prove that the DID owner 201 owns the DID 205.

The DID document 210 may also include authorization information 212. Theauthorization information 212 may allow the DID owner 201 to authorizethird-party entities the rights to modify the DID document 210 or somepart of the document without giving the third-party the right to proveownership of the DID 205. For example, the authorization information 212may allow the third-party to update any designated set of one or morefields in the DID document 210 using any designated update mechanism.Alternatively, the authorization information may allow the third-partyto limit the usages of DID 205 by the DID owner 201 for a specified timeperiod. This may be useful when the DID owner 201 is a minor child andthe third-party is a parent or guardian of the child. The authorizationinformation 212 may allow the parent or guardian to limit use of the DIDowner 201 until such time as the child is no longer a minor.

The authorization information 212 may also specify one or moremechanisms that the third-party will need to follow to prove they areauthorized to modify the DID document 210. In some embodiments, thesemechanisms may be similar to those discussed previously with respect tothe authentication information 211.

The DID document 210 may also include one or more service endpoints 213.A service endpoint may include a network address at which a serviceoperates on behalf of the DID owner 201. Examples of specific servicesinclude discovery services, social networks, file storage services suchas identity servers or hubs, and verifiable claim repository services.Accordingly, the service endpoints 213 operate as pointers for theservices that operate on behalf of the DID owner 201. These pointers maybe used by the DID owner 201 or by third-party entities to access theservices that operate on behalf of the DID owner 201. Specific examplesof service endpoints 213 will be explained in more detail to follow.

The DID document 210 may further include identification information 214.The identification information 214 may include personally identifiableinformation such as the name, address, occupation, family members, age,hobbies, interests, or the like of DID owner 201. Accordingly, theidentification information 214 listed in the DID document 210 mayrepresent a different persona of the DID owner 201 for differentpurposes.

A persona may be pseudo anonymous. As an example, the DID owner 201 mayinclude a pen name in the DID document when identifying him or her as awriter posting articles on a blog. A persona may be fully anonymous. Asan example, the DID owner 201 may only want to disclose his or her jobtitle or other background data (e.g., a schoolteacher, an FBI agent, anadult older than 21 years old, etc.) but not his or her name in the DIDdocument. As yet another example, a persona may be specific to who theDID owner 201 is as an individual. As an example, the DID owner 201 mayinclude information identifying him or her as a volunteer for aparticular charity organization, an employee of a particularcorporation, an award winner of a particular award, and so forth.

The DID document 210 may also include attestation information 215. Theattestation information 215 may be any information that is associatedwith the DID owner 201's background. For instance, the attestationinformation 215 may be (but not limited to) a qualification, anachievement, a government ID, a government right such as a passport or adriver's license, a payment provider or bank account, a universitydegree or other educational history, employment status and history, orany other information about the DID owner 201's background. In someembodiments, the DID owner 201 collects various signed attestations thatare included in the attestation information from different third-partyentities.

The DID document 210 may also include various other information 216. Insome embodiments, the other information 216 may include metadataspecifying when the DID document 210 was created and/or when it was lastmodified. In other embodiments, the other information 216 may includecryptographic proofs of the integrity of the DID document 210. In stillfurther embodiments, the other information 216 may include additionalinformation that is either specified by the specific method implementingthe DID document or desired by the DID owner 201.

FIG. 2 also illustrates a distributed ledger 220. The distributed ledger220 may be any decentralized, distributed network that includes variouscomputing systems that are in communication with each other. Forexample, the distributed ledger 220 may include a first distributedcomputing system 230, a second distributed computing system 240, a thirddistributed computing system 250, and any number of additionaldistributed computing systems as illustrated by the ellipses 260. Thedistributed ledger 220 may operate according to any known standards ormethods for distributed ledgers. Examples of conventional distributedledgers that may correspond to the distributed ledger 220 include, butare not limited to, Bitcoin [BTC], Ethereum, and Litecoin.

In the context of DID 205, the distributed ledger or blockchain 220 isused to store a representation of the DID 205 that points to the DIDdocument 210. In some embodiments, the DID document 210 may be stored onthe actual distributed ledger. Alternatively, in other embodiments theDID document 210 may be stored in a data storage (not illustrated) thatis associated with the distributed ledger 220.

As mentioned, a representation of the DID 205 is stored on eachdistributed computing system of the distributed ledger 220. For example,in FIG. 2 this is shown as DID hash 231, DID hash 241, and DID hash 251,which are ideally identical hashed copies of the same DID. The DID hash231, DID hash 241, and DID hash 251 may then point to the location ofthe DID document 210. The distributed ledger or blockchain 220 may alsostore numerous other representations of other DIDs as illustrated byreferences 232, 233, 234, 242, 243, 244, 252, 253, and 254.

In one embodiment, when the DID owner 201 creates the DID 205 and theassociated DID document 210, the DID hash 231, DID hash 241, and DIDhash 251 are written to the distributed ledger 220. The distributedledger 220 thus records that the DID 205 now exists. Since thedistributed ledger 220 is decentralized, the DID 205 is not under thecontrol of any entity outside of the DID owner 201. DID hash 231, DIDhash 241, and DID hash 251 may each include, in addition to the pointerto the DID document 210, a record or time stamp that specifies when theDID 205 was created. At a later date, when modifications are made to theDID document 210, each modification (and potentially also a timestamp ofthe modification) may also be recorded in DID hash 231, DID hash 241,and DID hash 251. DID hash 231, DID hash 241, and DID hash 251 mayfurther include a copy of the public key 207 so that the DID 205 iscryptographically bound to the DID document 210.

Having described DIDs and how they operate generally with reference toFIG. 2, specific embodiments of DID environments will now be explained.Turning to FIG. 3, a computing system environment 300 that may be usedto perform various DID management operations and services will now beexplained. It will be appreciated that the environment of FIG. 3 mayreference elements from FIG. 2 as needed for ease of explanation.

As shown in FIG. 3, the environment 300 may include various devices andcomputing systems that may be owned or otherwise under the control ofthe DID owner 201. These may include a user device 301. The user device301 may be, but is not limited to, a mobile device such as a smartphone, a computing device such as a laptop computer, or any device suchas a car or an appliance that includes computing abilities. The device301 may include a web browser 302 operating on the device and anoperating system 303 operating the device. More broadly speaking, thedashed line 304 represents that all of these devices may be owned orotherwise under the control of the DID owner 201.

The environment 300 also includes a DID management module 320. It willbe noted that in operation, the DID management module 320 may reside onand be executed by one or more of user device 301, web browser 302, andthe operating system 303 as illustrated by respective lines 301 a, 302a, and 303 a. Accordingly, the DID management module 320 is shown asbeing separate for ease of explanation. In some embodiments, themanagement module 320 may be referred to as a “digital wallet” or a“user agent”.

As shown in FIG. 3, the DID management module 320 includes a DIDcreation module 330. The DID creation module 330 may be used by the DIDowner 201 to create the DID 205 or any number of additional DIDs, suchas DID 331. In one embodiment, the DID creation module may include orotherwise have access to a User Interface (UI) element 335 that mayguide the DID owner 201 in creating the DID 205. The DID creation module330 may have one or more drivers that are configured to work withspecific distributed ledgers such as distributed ledger 220 so that theDID 205 complies with the underlying methods of that distributed ledger.

A specific embodiment will now be described. For example, the UI 335 mayprovide a prompt for the user to enter a username or some other humanrecognizable name. This name may be used as a display name for the DID205 that will be generated. As previously described, the DID 205 may bea long string of random numbers and letters and so having ahuman-recognizable name for a display name may be advantageous. The DIDcreation module 330 may then generate the DID 205. In the embodimentshaving the UI 335, the DID 205 may be shown in a listing of identitiesand may be associated with the human-recognizable name.

The DID creation module 330 may also include a key generation module350. The key generation module may generate the private key 206 andpublic key 207 pair previously described. The DID creation module 330may then use the DID 205 and the private and public key pair to generatethe DID document 210.

In operation, the DID creation module 330 accesses a registrar 310 thatis configured to the specific distributed ledger that will be recordingthe transactions related to the DID 205. The DID creation module 330uses the registrar 310 to record DID hash 231, DID hash 241, and DIDhash 251 in the distributed ledger in the manner previously described,and to store the DID document 210 in the manner previously described.This process may use the public key 207 in the hash generation.

In some embodiments, the DID management module 320 may include anownership module 340. The ownership module 340 may provide mechanismsthat ensure that the DID owner 201 is in sole control of the DID 205. Inthis way, the provider of the DID management module 320 is able toensure that the provider does not control the DID 205 but is onlyproviding the management services.

As previously discussed, the key generation module 350 generates theprivate key 206 and public key 207 pair and the public key 207 is thenrecorded in the DID document 210. Accordingly, the public key 207 may beused by all devices associated with the DID owner 201 and all thirdparties that desire to provide services to the DID owner 201.Accordingly, when the DID owner 201 desires to associate a new devicewith the DID 205, the DID owner 201 may execute the DID creation module330 on the new device. The DID creation module 330 may then use theregistrar 310 to update the DID document 210 to reflect that the newdevice is now associated with the DID 205, which update would bereflected in a transaction on the distributed ledger 220, as previouslydescribed.

In some embodiments, however, it may be advantageous to have a publickey per device 301 owned by the DID owner 201 as this may allow the DIDowner 201 to sign with the device-specific public key without having toaccess a general public key. In other words, since the DID owner 201will use different devices at different times (for example using amobile phone in one instance and then using a laptop computer in anotherinstance), it is advantageous to have a key associated with each deviceto provide efficiencies in signing using the keys. Accordingly, in suchembodiments the key generation module 350 may generate additional publickeys 208 and 209 when the additional devices execute the DID creationmodule 330. These additional public keys may be associated with theprivate key 206 or in some instances may be paired with a new privatekey.

In those embodiments where the additional public keys 208 and 209 areassociated with different devices, the additional public keys 208 and209 may be recorded in the DID document 210 as being associated withthose devices. This is shown in FIG. 3. It will be appreciated that theDID document 210 may include the information (information 205, 207 and211 through 216) previously described in relation to FIG. 2 in additionto the information (information 208, 209 and 365) shown in FIG. 3. Ifthe DID document 210 existed prior to the device-specific public keysbeing generated, then the DID document 210 would be updated by thecreation module 330 via the registrar 310 and this would be reflected inan updated transaction on the distributed ledger 220.

In some embodiments, the DID owner 201 may desire to keep secret theassociation of a device with a public key or the association of a devicewith the DID 205. Accordingly, the DID creation module 330 may causethat such data be secretly shown in the DID document 210.

As described thus far, the DID 205 has been associated with all thedevices under the control of the DID owner 201, even when the deviceshave their own public keys. However, in some embodiments it may beuseful for each device or some subset of devices under the control ofthe DID owner 201 to each have their own DID. Thus, in some embodimentsthe DID creation module 330 may generate an additional DID, for exampleDID 331, for each device. The DID creation module 330 would thengenerate private and public key pairs and DID documents for each of thedevices and have them recorded on the distributed ledger 220 in themanner previously described. Such embodiments may be advantageous fordevices that may change ownership as it may be possible to associate thedevice-specific DID to the new owner of the device by granting the newowner authorization rights in the DID document and revoking such rightsfrom the old owner.

As mentioned, to ensure that the private key 206 is totally in thecontrol of the DID owner 201, the private key 206 is created on the userdevice 301, browser 302, or operating system 303 that is owned orcontrolled by the DID owner 201 that executed the DID management module320. In this way, there is little chance that a third-party (and mostconsequentially, the provider of the DID management module 320) may gaincontrol of the private key 206.

However, there is a chance that the device storing the private key 206may be lost by the DID owner 201, which may cause the DID owner 201 tolose access to the DID 205. Accordingly, in some embodiments, the UI 335may include the option to allow the DID owner 201 to export the privatekey 206 to an off device secured database 305 that is under the controlof the DID owner 201. As an example, the database 305 may be one of theidentity hubs 410 described below with respect to FIG. 4. A storagemodule 380 is configured to store data (such as the private key 206 orthe attestation information 215 made by or about the DID owner 201) offdevice in the database 305 or in identity hubs 410 that will bedescribed in more detail to follow. Of course, in some embodiments thestorage module 380 may store at least some data on the device if thedevice has sufficient storage resources. In some embodiments, theprivate key 206 may be stored as a QR code that may be scanned by theDID owner 201.

In other embodiments, the DID management module 320 may include arecovery module 360 that may be used to recover a lost private key 206.In operation, the recovery module 360 allows the DID owner 201 to selectone or more recovery mechanisms 365 at the time the DID 205 is createdthat may later be used to recover the lost private key. In thoseembodiments having the UI 335, the UI 335 may allow the DID owner 201 toprovide information that will be used by the one or more recoverymechanisms 365 during recovery. The recovery module 360 may then be runon any device associated with the DID 205.

The DID management module 320 may also include a revocation module 370that is used to revoke or sever a device from the DID 205. In operation,the revocation module may use the UI element 335, which may allow theDID owner 201 to indicate a desire to remove a device from beingassociated with the DID 205. In one embodiment, the revocation module370 may access the DID document 210 and may cause that all references tothe device be removed from the DID document 210. Alternatively, thepublic key for the device may be removed. This change in the DIDdocument 210 may then be reflected as an updated transaction on thedistributed ledger 220 as previously described.

FIG. 4 illustrates an embodiment of a computing system environment 400in which a DID such as DID 205 may be utilized. Specifically, theenvironment 400 will be used to describe the use of the DID 205 inrelation to one or more decentralized stores or identity hubs 410 thatare each under the control of the DID owner 201 to store data belongingto or regarding the DID owner 201. For instance, data may be storedwithin the identity hubs using the storage module 380 of FIG. 3. It willbe noted that FIG. 4 may include references to elements first discussedin relation to FIG. 2 or 3 and thus use the same reference numeral forease of explanation.

In one embodiment, the identity hubs 410 may be multiple instances ofthe same identity hub. This is represented by the line 410A. Thus, thevarious identity hubs 410 may include at least some of the same data andservices. Accordingly, if a change is made to part of at least some ofthe data (and potentially any part of any of the data) in one of theidentity hubs 410, the change may be reflected in one or more of (andperhaps all of) the remaining identity hubs.

The identity hubs 410 may be any data store that may be in the exclusivecontrol of the DID owner 201. As an example only, the first identity hub411 and second identity hub 412 are implemented in cloud storage(perhaps within the same cloud, or even on different clouds managed bydifferent cloud providers) and thus may be able to hold a large amountof data. Accordingly, a full set of the data may be stored in theseidentity hubs.

However, the identity hubs 413 and 414 may have less memory space.Accordingly, in these identity hubs a descriptor of the data stored inthe first and second identity hubs may be included. Alternatively, arecord of changes made to the data in other identity hubs may beincluded. Thus, changes in one of the identity hubs 410 are either fullyreplicated in the other identity hubs or at least a record or descriptorof that data is recorded in the other identity hubs.

Because the identity hubs may be multiple instances of the same identityhub, only a full description of the first identity hub 411 will beprovided as this description may also apply to the identity hubs 412through 414. As illustrated, identity hub 411 may include data storage420. The data storage 420 may be used to store any type of data that isassociated with the DID owner 201. In one embodiment the data may be acollection 422 of a specific type of data corresponding to a specificprotocol. For example, the collection 422 may be medical records datathat corresponds to a specific protocol for medical data. The collection422 may include any other type of data, such as attestations 215 made byor about the DID owner 201.

In one embodiment, the stored data may have different authentication andprivacy settings 421 associated with the stored data. For example, afirst subset of the data may have a setting 421 that allows the data tobe publicly exposed, but that does not include any authentication to theDID owner 201. This type of data may be for relatively unimportant datasuch as color schemes and the like. A second subset of the data may havea setting 421 that allows the data to be publicly exposed and thatincludes authentication to the DID owner 201. A third subset of the datamay have a setting 421 that encrypts the subset of data with the privatekey 206 and public key 207 pair (or some other key pair) associated withthe DID owner 201. This type of data will require a party to have accessto the public key 207 (or to some other associated public key) in orderto decrypt the data. This process may also include authentication to theDID owner 201. A fourth subset of the data may have a setting 421 thatrestricts this data to a subset of third parties. This may require thatpublic keys associated with the subset of third parties be used todecrypt the data. For example, the DID owner 201 may cause the setting421 to specify that only public keys associated with friends of the DIDowner 201 may decrypt this data. With respect to data stored by thestorage module 380, these settings 411 may be at least partiallycomposed by the storage module 380 of FIG. 3.

In some embodiments, the identity hub 411 may have a permissions module430 that allows the DID owner 201 to set specific authorization orpermissions for third parties such as third parties 401 and 402 toaccess the identity hub. For example, the DID owner 201 may provideaccess permission to his or her spouse to all the data 420.Alternatively, the DID owner 201 may allow access to his or her doctorfor any medical records. It will be appreciated that the DID owner 201may give permission to any number of third parties to access a subset ofthe data 420. This will be explained in more detail to follow. Withrespect to data stored by the storage module 380, these accesspermissions 430 may be at least partially composed by the storage module380 of FIG. 3.

The identity hub 411 may also have a messaging module 440. In operation,the messaging module allows the identity hub to receive messages such asrequests from parties such as third parties 401 and 402 to access thedata and services of the identity hub. In addition, the messaging module440 allows the identity hub 411 to respond to the messages from thethird parties and to also communicate with a DID resolver 450. This willbe explained in more detail to follow. The ellipsis 416 represents thatthe identity hub 411 may have additional services as circumstanceswarrant.

In one embodiment, the DID owner 201 may wish to authenticate a newdevice 301 with the identity hub 411 that is already associated with theDID 205 in the manner previously described. Accordingly, the DID owner201 may utilize the DID management module 320 associated with the newuser device 301 to send a message to the identity hub 411 asserting thatthe new user device is associated with the DID 205 of the DID owner 201.

However, the identity hub 411 may not initially recognize the new deviceas being owned by the DID owner 201. Accordingly, the identity hub 411may use the messaging module 440 to contact the DID resolver 450. Themessage sent to the DID resolver 450 may include the DID 205.

The DID resolver 450 may be a service, application, or module that isconfigured in operation to search the distributed ledger 220 for DIDdocuments associated with DIDs. Accordingly, in the embodiment the DIDresolver 450 may search the distributed ledger 220 using the DID 205,which may result in the DID resolver 450 finding the DID document 210.The DID document 210 may then be provided to the identity hub 411.

As discussed previously, the DID document 210 may include a public key208 or 209 that is associated with the new user device 301. To verifythat the new user device is owned by the DID owner 201, the identity hub411 may provide a cryptographic challenge to the new user device 301using the messaging module 440. This cryptographic challenge will bestructured such that only a device having access to the private key 206will be able to successfully answer the challenge.

In this embodiment, since the new user device is owned by DID owner 201and thus has access to the private key 206, the challenge may besuccessfully answered. The identity hub 411 may then record in thepermissions 430 that the new user device 301 is able to access the dataand services of the identity hub 411 and also the rest of the identityhubs 410.

It will be noted that this process of authenticating the new user device301 was performed without the need for the DID owner 201 to provide anyusername, password or the like to the provider of the identity hub 411(i.e., the first cloud storage provider) before the identity hub 411could be accessed. Rather, the access was determined in a decentralizedmanner based on the DID 205, the DID document 210, and the associatedpublic and private keys. Since these were at all times in the control ofthe DID owner 201, the provider of the identity hub 411 was not involvedand thus has no knowledge of the transaction or of any personalinformation of the DID owner 201.

In another example embodiment, the DID owner 201 may provide the DID 205to the third-party entity 401 so that the third-party may access data orservices stored on the identity hub 411. For example, the DID owner 201may be a human who is at a scientific conference who desires to allowthe third-party 401, who is also a human, access to his or her researchdata. Accordingly, the DID owner 201 may provide the DID 205 to thethird-party 401.

Once the third-party 401 has access to the DID 205, he or she may accessthe DID resolver 450 to access the DID document 210. As previouslydiscussed, the DID document 210 may include an end point 213 that is anaddress or pointer to services associated with the decentralizedidentity.

Completing the research data example, the third-party 401 may send amessage to the messaging module 440 asking for permission to access theresearch data. The messaging module 440 may then send a message to theDID owner 201 asking if the third-party 401 should be given access tothe research data. Because the DID owner desires to provide access tothis data, the DID owner 201 may allow permission to the third-party 401and this permission may be recorded in the permissions 430.

The messaging module 440 may then message the third-party 401 informingthe third-party that he or she is able to access the research data. Theidentity hub 411 and the third-party 401 may then directly communicateso that the third-party may access the data. It will be noted that inmany cases, it will actually be an identity hub associated with thethird-party 401 that communicates with the identity hub 411. However, itmay be a device of the third-party 401 that does the communication.

Advantageously, the above described process allows the identity hub 411and the third-party 401 to communicate and to share the data without theneed for the third-party to access the identity hub 411 in theconventional manner. Rather, the communication is provisioned in thedecentralized manner using the DID 205 and the DID document 210. Thisadvantageously allows the DID owner to be in full control of theprocess.

As shown in FIG. 4, the third-party 402 may also request permission foraccess to the identity hub 411 using the DID 205 and the DID document210. Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein allow access to anynumber of third parties to the identity hubs 410.

FIG. 5 illustrates an embodiment of a computing system environment 500that will be used to explain event based transfer of DID delegatedauthority in accordance with the embodiments disclosed herein. It willbe noted that since the computing system environment 500 may correspondto one or more of the computing system environments 100-400 previouslydescribed, the FIG. 5 may include references to elements first discussedin relation to FIGS. 2-4 and thus may use the same reference numeral forease of explanation. It will be noted that although the various elementsshown in FIG. 5 are shown as being separate, this is for ease ofillustration only. Accordingly, the various elements may be combined asneeded and there may be more or less elements than illustrated in FIG.5.

As illustrated, the computing system environment 500 may include the DIDowner 201, who may be considered a first DID user, and a DID user 510,who may be considered a second DID user. The DID user 510 may own orotherwise control a DID 515 that may be generated in the mannerpreviously described. The DID user 510 may also own or otherwise controlan identity hub 516, which may function in a manner similar to theidentity hubs 410 previously described. Although not illustrated, theDID user 510 may also have access to a DID management module that mayfunction in a manner similar to the DID management module 320 previouslydescribed.

The DID owner 201 may have delegated authority to use the DID 515 onbehalf of the DID user 510 based on a legal relationship that gives theDID owner 201 the delegated authority. For example, in one embodimentthe DID owner 201 may be a parent or other legal guardian of the DIDuser 510 and live in a legal jurisdiction that gives a parent or legalguardian delegated authority to obtain and then use a DID on behalf of aminor child or other legal ward. Accordingly, in such embodiments theDID owner 201 is able to obtain the DID 515 for the DID user 510 andthen to use the DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510. As will beappreciated, it is the legal relationship of being a parent or otherlegal guardian that gives the DID owner 201 the delegated authority touse the DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510 and not any activedelegation by the DID user 510.

In another embodiment, the DID owner 201 may be married to or be in adomestic partnership that is equal to marriage with the DID owner user510 and lives in a jurisdiction that allows a spouse or domestic partnerto use a DID on behalf of his or her spouse or domestic partner.Accordingly, in such embodiments the DID owner 201 is able to use theDID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510. Again, it is the legalrelationship of being a spouse or domestic partner that gives the DIDowner 201 the delegated authority to use the DID 515 on behalf of theDID user 510 and not any active delegation by the DID user 510. It willbe noted that there may be any number of additional legal relationshipsbesides parent, guardian, spouse, or domestic partner in various legaljurisdictions that give the DID owner 201 the delegated authority toobtain and/or use the DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510.Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to anyparticular legal relationship between the DID owner 201 and the DID user510.

In other embodiments, however, the DID owner 201 and the DID user 510may not be a legal relationship that gives the DID owner 201 thedelegated authority to obtain and/or use the DID 515 on behalf of theDID user 510. Accordingly, in such embodiments the DID owner 201 and theDID user 510 may enter into a legal agreement where the DID user 510actively delegates the DID 515 to the DID owner 201 to use on his or herbehalf. For example, in jurisdictions where marriage or a domesticpartnership do not automatically delegate authority to the DID owner 201to use the DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510, the DID owner 201 andthe DID user 510 who are married or in a domestic partnership may enterinto a legal agreement that provides for such delegated authority. Thislegal agreement may be as simple as the DID user 510 actively delegatinguse of the DID 515 to the DID owner 201 by specifying the terms andlimits of the delegation and how long the delegation should last. Inother embodiments, the DID owner 201 and DID user 510 may enter into alegal agreement such as a contract or the like.

In some embodiments, the DID owner 201 may be an employee of the DIDuser 510. In such embodiments, a legal agreement may be an employmentcontract or the like that specifies that the DID owner 201 has delegatedauthority to use the DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510 for as longas the DID owner 201 is employed by the DID user 510. It will be notedthat the DID owner 201 and the DID user 510 may enter into any number oflegal agreements that provide delegated authority to the DID owner 201to use the DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510. Accordingly, theembodiments disclosed herein are not limited by any type of legalagreement.

In some embodiments, certain events may happen that may change thedelegated authority discussed previously. In some embodiments, the legalrelationship between the DID owner 201 and the DID user 510 may changeso that the DID user 510 gains the ability to consent to or to deny thedelegated use of the DID 515. In other embodiments, the legal agreementbetween the DID owner 201 and the DID user 510 may be terminated or maychange so that the DID user 510 no longer desires to delegate the use ofthe DID 515 to the DID owner 201. Advantageously, the embodimentsdisclosed herein provide for a mechanism to transfer the delegatedauthority from the DID owner 201 back to the DID user 510 uponoccurrence of various events as will now be explained.

As illustrated in FIG. 5, the computing system environment 500 mayinclude a delegation module 520. In one embodiment, the delegationmodule 520 may be implemented by a third-party entity such as theprovider of the DID management module 320 and/or the identity hubs 410.In other embodiments, the delegation module 520 may be hosted on aserver computer that is separate from the devices 301 owned by the DIDowner 201 or any devices owned by the DID user 510. In still otherembodiments, the delegation module 520 may be part of DID managementmodule 320 or be part of a DID management module owned by the DID user510 or may at least share some functions with the DID management module320 or the DID management module owned by the DID user 510. In furtherembodiments, the delegation module 520 may be part of or hosted by oneof the identity hubs 410 or by the identity hub 516. Accordingly, theembodiments disclosed herein are not limited by where the delegationmodule 520 is implemented or by the entity that implements thedelegation module.

As illustrated, the delegation module 520 may include a legalrelationship module or database 530. In operation, the legalrelationship module 530 may be configured to store or access legalrelationship information 531, 532, and any number of additionalinformation as illustrated by ellipses 533 about various legalrelationships between the DID owner 201 and the DID user 510. Forexample, in one embodiment the legal relationship information 531-533may state that a parent or legal guardian has the automatic authority toobtain and use a delegated DID on behalf of his or her child or legalward until the child or legal ward reaches the age of adulthood, whichage may be defined by the information 531. In another embodiment, thelegal relationship information 531-533 may specify that a spouse has theauthority to use a delegated DID on behalf of his or her spouse. Instill other embodiments the legal relationship information 531-533 mayinclude specific information about the legal relationship between theDID owner 201 and DID user 510 such as if they are parent and child, theage of the DID user 510, and the marital status of the parties. In someembodiments, the legal relationship module 530 may be updateable suchthat changes to the information such as changes to the age of adulthoodin a jurisdiction or changes to marriage laws may be reflected in thelegal relationship information 531-533.

In some embodiments, the delegation module 520 may also include a legalagreement module or database 540. In operation, the legal agreementmodule 540 may be configured to store or access various legal agreements541, 542, and any number of additional legal agreements as illustratedby the ellipses 543 between the DID owner 201 and the DID user 510. Forexample, in one embodiment the legal agreements 541-543 may be anemployment contract between the DID owner 201 and the DID user 510 thatgives the DID owner 201 the delegated authority to use the DID 515. Inanother embodiment, the legal agreement 541-543 may be an agreement thatstates that the DID user 510 consents to the delegated use of the DID515.

The delegation module 520 may also include an event module 550. Inoperation, as will be explained in more detail to follow, the eventmodule 550 may monitor an attempted use of the DID 515 by the DID owner201 to determine if an event 551, 552, or any number of additionalevents as illustrated by the ellipses 553 has occurred that has changedthe legal relationship (i.e., 531, 532, or 533) or the legal agreement(i.e., 541, 542, or 543) between the DID owner 201 and the DID user 510.For example, in one embodiment an event 551-553 may be that the DID user510 has reached the age of adulthood in the relevant jurisdiction andthus is no longer legally subject to the DID owner 201. In anotherembodiment, an event 551-553 may be that the DID user 510 has divorcedthe DID owner 201 or that the DID user 510 has died. In still otherembodiments, an event 551-553 may be that the DID user 510 hasterminated the employment of the DID owner 201 or that the DID user 510has terminated the legal agreement with the DID owner 201.

If an event 551-553 has occurred, then the DID owner 201 may no longerhave delegated authority to use the delegated DID 515 on behalf of theDID user 510. In such case, the delegation module 520 may revoke thedelegated authority so that the DID owner 201 is no longer able to usthe DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510. However, if an event 551-553has not occurred, then the delegation module 520 may continue to allowthe DID owner to use the delegated DID 515 on behalf of the DID user510.

Specific examples of using the DID delegation module 520 in the processof event based transfer of DID delegated authority will now beexplained. In one specific example, suppose that the DID owner 201 isthe parent of DID user 510 and thus has automatic authority in therelevant legal jurisdiction to use the delegated DID 515 on behalf ofthe DID user 510. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 5 the DID owner 515 mayshow an indication of attempting to use the delegated DID 515 bypresenting the delegated DID 515 to the delegation module 520. The legalrelationship module 530 may determine, based for example on the legalrelationship information 531-533, that the DID owner 201 is authorizedto use the delegated DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510 since the DIDuser 510 is below the age of adulthood in the relevant jurisdiction. Theevent module 550 may also determine that no event 551-553 has occurredthat would change the legal relationship. Accordingly, the DID owner 201may be allowed to use the DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510.

The delegation module 520 may provide the delegated DID 515 to an entity560, which may own or otherwise be associated with a DID 565. The DIDowner 201 may use the delegated DID 515 to obtain various types ofDID-related data from the entity 560 for the DID user 510 such asDID-related data 566. The DID-related data 566 (and any otherDID-related data discussed herein) may be considered “DID-related” sinceit is data that is identified by and associated with the DID 515 of theDID user 510. The DID-related data 566 (and any other DID-related datadiscussed herein) may include any reasonable type of data, such asvideo, audio, picture, document data, membership data, or the like.Accordingly, the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited by thetype of the DID-related data. For example, suppose the entity 560 was asocial media service. In such case, the DID owner 201 may use thedelegated DID 515 to sign up for a social media account for the DID user510. The social media account may be a type of DID-related data. Asshown, the DID-related data 566 may be stored in the identity hub 411 ofthe DID owner 201 and also stored in the identity hub 516 of the DIDuser 510. Thus, both the DID owner 201 and the DID user 510 may be ableto use the DID-related social media account 566.

Likewise, the delegation module 520 may provide the delegated DID 515 toan entity 570, which may own or otherwise be associated with a DID 575.The DID owner 201 may use the delegated DID 515 to obtain various typesof DID-related data from the entity 570 for the DID user 510 such asDID-related data 576. For example, suppose that the entity 570 was aprovider of video clips. In such case, the DID owner 201 may use thedelegated DID 515 to obtain video clips for the DID user 510. The videoclips may be a type of DID-related data. As shown, the DID-related data576 may be stored in the identity hub 411 of the DID owner 201 and alsostored in the identity hub 516 of the DID user 510. Thus, both the DIDowner 201 and the DID user 510 may be able to use the DID-related videoclips 576.

Suppose that at a later time, the DID owner 210 again attempted to usethe delegated DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510. Further supposethat this later time was after the DID user 515 has reached the age ofadulthood in the relevant jurisdiction. In such case, the event module550 may determine that an event 551-553 has occurred, which is that thatthe DID user 515 is no longer the minor child of the DID owner 201 as heor she has reached adulthood. Thus, the legal relationship specified bythe legal relationship information 531-533 would no longer be valid andthe DID owner 201 would no longer have automatic delegated authority touse the DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510.

Accordingly, the delegation module 520 may automatically revoke thedelegation of authority so that the DID owner 201 is no longer able touse the DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510. For example, in oneembodiment the delegation module 520 may provide a command 521 to theDID owner 201 that revokes the delegated authority by removing anytokens, signed claims, or the like that were used by the DID owner 201to indicate that he or she had the delegated authority.

As may be appreciated, if the delegated authority is revoked, the DIDuser 510 may want to assume full control over any DID-related data thatwas obtained by the DID owner 201 on behalf of the DID user 510.Accordingly, in one embodiment the command 521 may also cause the DIDowner 201 to remove the DID-related data 566 and 576 (and any otherDID-related data) from the identity hub 411 as illustrated by the dashedlines. In this way, the DID owner 201 may no longer use or access theDID-related data that is related to the DID 515, thus giving the DIDuser 510 full control over such DID-related data.

In some embodiments, the DID user 510 may desire to continue to allowthe DID owner 201 to have delegated authority to use the DID 515 on hisor her behalf even after the occurrence of an event 551-553. Forexample, even though the DID user 510 is now at the age of adulthood, heor she may still want his or her parent to act on his or her behalf.Accordingly, the DID user 510 may provide a notice 511 to the delegationmodule 520 that specifies that the DID user 510 is delegating authorityto use the DID 515 to the DID owner 201. Thus, the DID owner 201 is ableto use the DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 515. However, thisdelegation is not based on a legal relationship or a legal agreement butis based on an explicit delegation by the DID user 510.

In some embodiments, an indication 525 may be provided by the delegationmodule 520 to the distributed ledger 220. The indication 525 may specifythat the DID owner 201 no longer has delegated authority to use the DID515 on behalf of the DID user 510. This may provide notice to theentities 560 and 570 should the DID owner 201 try to continue to use theDID 515 when the delegated authority has been revoked.

As a second example, suppose that the DID owner 201 and the DID user 510have previously been married and thus the DID owner 201 has been able touse the delegated DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510 in the mannerpreviously described. Further suppose that at a later time, the DIDowner 210 again attempted to use the delegated DID 515 on behalf of theDID user 510. However, at the later time suppose that the DID user 510has either divorced the DID owner 201 or has died. In such case, theevent module 550 may determine that an event 551-553 has occurred, whichin this example is the divorce or the death. Thus, the legalrelationship specified by the legal relationship information 531-533would no longer be valid and the DID owner 201 would no longer haveautomatic delegated authority to use the DID 515 on behalf of the DIDuser 510.

Accordingly, the delegation module 520 may automatically revoke thedelegation of authority so that the DID owner 201 is no longer able touse the DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510 in the manner previouslydescribed. In the case of divorce, the DID user 510 may be given fullcontrol of any DID-related data as previously described. In the case ofdeath, control of the DID-related data may be determined by a will orthe like of the DID user 510. In either case, the DID owner 201 is nolonger able to use the DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510 unless theDID user explicitly delegates authority in the manner previouslydescribed.

In a third specific example, suppose that the DID owner 201 and the DIDuser 510 have entered into a legal agreement 541-543, such as anemployment contract, that gives the DID owner 201 delegated authority touse the delegated DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510. Accordingly,while the legal agreement 541-543 is in force, the DID owner 201 may acton behalf of the DID user 510 in the manner previously described. Thatis, the legal agreement module 540 may verify that the legal agreementis still in force and thus the delegation module 520 may allow thedelegated use of the DID 515.

However, suppose that at a later time the legal agreement 541-543 isterminated by the DID user 510. In the case of an employment contract,this may be that the DID user 510 has fired or otherwise terminated theemployment of the DID owner 201. When the DID owner 201 again attemptsto use the delegated DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510, the eventmodule 550 may determine that an event 551-553 has occurred, which inthis example is the termination of the legal agreement. Thus, the DIDowner 201 would no longer have delegated authority to use the DID 515 onbehalf of the DID user 510. Accordingly, the delegation module 520 mayautomatically revoke the delegation of authority so that the DID owner201 is no longer able to use the DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510in the manner previously described.

It will be noted that in some embodiments, such as when the DID userreaches the age of adulthood, the events module 550 may be able toautomatically determine that the event has occurred. In other words,since the events module 550 knows the information about the DID user 510such as his or her age and the legal relationship between the DID owner201 and the DID user 510, the events module is able to automaticallydetermine that an event (i.e., DID user 510 reaching the age ofadulthood) has occurred.

In other embodiments, the DID user 510 may inform the event module 550that an event 551-553 has occurred as shown by 512. For example, if theDID user 510 terminates the legal agreement 541-543 or gets divorced, heor she may inform the event module 550 that such event has occurred sothat this can be determined when the DID owner 201 later attempts to usethe delegated DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510.

The following discussion now refers to a number of methods and methodacts that may be performed. Although the method acts may be discussed ina certain order or illustrated in a flow chart as occurring in aparticular order, no particular ordering is required unless specificallystated, or required because an act is dependent on another act beingcompleted prior to the act being performed.

FIG. 6 illustrates a flow chart of an example method 600 for event basedtransfer of DID delegated authority. The method 600 will be describedwith respect to one or more of FIGS. 1-5 discussed previously.

The method 600 includes an act of receiving an indication that a firstDID user is attempting to use a delegated DID associated with a secondDID user on behalf of the second DID user, the first DID user havingpreviously been delegated authority to use the delegated DID byoperation of one or more of a legal relationship or a legal agreementbetween the first and second DID users that provides the delegatedauthority (act 610). For example, as previously described the DID owner201, who may be a first DID user, may be given delegated authority touse the delegated DID 515 on behalf of the DID user 510, who may be asecond DID user. This delegated authority may be based on the legalrelationships 531-533 or the legal agreements 541-543. The delegationmodule 520 may receive the indication that the DID owner 201 isattempting to use the delegated DID 515.

The method 600 includes an act of determining if an event has occurredthat has changed the legal relationship or the legal agreement betweenthe first and second DID users (act 620). For example, as previouslydescribed event module 550 may determine if an event 551-553 hasoccurred that has changed the legal relationships 531-533 or the legalagreements 541-543.

The method 600 includes, if an event has occurred, an act ofautomatically revoking the delegation of authority to use the delegatedDID such that the first DID user is no longer able to use the delegatedDID on behalf of the second DID user (act 630). For example, aspreviously described if an event 551-553 has occurred, the delegationmodule 520 may automatically revoke the delegation of authority for theDID owner 201 to use the delegated DID 515 on behalf of the DID user510.

The method 600 includes, if an event has not occurred, an act ofallowing the first DID user to continue to use the delegated DID onbehalf of the second DID user (act 640). For example, as previouslydescribed if an event 551-553 has not occurred, the delegation module520 may continue to allow the DID owner 201 to use the delegated DID 515on behalf of the DID user 510.

For the processes and methods disclosed herein, the operations performedin the processes and methods may be implemented in differing order.Furthermore, the outlined operations are only provided as examples, andsome of the operations may be optional, combined into fewer steps andoperations, supplemented with further operations, or expanded intoadditional operations without detracting from the essence of thedisclosed embodiments.

The present invention may be embodied in other specific forms withoutdeparting from its spirit or characteristics. The described embodimentsare to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and notrestrictive. The scope of the invention is, therefore, indicated by theappended claims rather than by the foregoing description. All changeswhich come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims areto be embraced within their scope.

What is claimed is:
 1. A computing system that is implemented in adecentralized network that implements a distributed ledger, thedistributed ledger being configured to back one or more decentralizedidentities (DID) for one or more users of the computing system, thecomputing system comprising: one or more processors; and one or morecomputer-readable media having thereon computer-executable instructionsthat are structured such that, when executed by the one or moreprocessors, cause the computing system to: receive an indication that afirst DID user is attempting to use a delegated DID associated with asecond DID user on behalf of the second DID user, the first DID userhaving previously been delegated authority to use the delegated DID byoperation of one or more of a legal relationship or a legal agreementbetween the first and second DID users that provides the delegatedauthority; determine if an event has occurred that has changed the legalrelationship or the legal agreement between the first and second DIDusers; if an event has occurred, automatically revoke the delegation ofauthority to use the delegated DID such that the first DID user is nolonger able to use the delegated DID on behalf of the second DID user;and if an event has not occurred, allow the first DID user to continueto use the delegated DID on behalf of the second DID user.
 2. Thecomputing system according to claim 1, wherein the executedcomputer-executable instructions further cause the computing system to:if an event has occurred, cause the first DID user to return control ofall DID-related data associated with the delegated DID to the second DIDuser.
 3. The computing system according to claim 1, wherein the legalrelationship is that the first DID user is a parent or other legalguardian of the second DID user, the event being that the second DIDuser has reached adulthood or that that the legal guardianship has beenterminated, the second DID user thus becoming legally independent fromthe first DID user.
 4. The computing system according to claim 1,wherein the legal relationship is that the first DID user is married tothe second DID user, the event being that the second DID user hasdivorced the first DID user.
 5. The computing system according to claim1, wherein the legal relationship is that the first DID user is marriedto the second DID user, the event being that the second DID user hasdied.
 6. The computing system according to claim 1, wherein the legalagreement is an employment contract that states that the first DID useris an employee of the second DID user, the event being that the secondDID user has terminated the employment of the first DID user.
 7. Thecomputing system according to claim 1, wherein the legal agreement is anagreement that states that the first DID user is able to act on behalfof the second DID user, the event being that the second DID user hasterminated the agreement.
 8. The computing system of claim 1, whereinthe executed computer-executable instructions further cause thecomputing system to: record an indicator in the distributed ledger thatindicates that the first DID user's delegated authority to use thedelegated DID has been revoked.
 9. The computing system of claim 1,wherein determining if the event has occurred comprises: receiving inputfrom the second DID user that informs that the event has occurred. 10.The computing system of claim 1, wherein determining if the event hasoccurred comprises: automatically determining that the event hasoccurred based on the legal relationship.
 11. In a computing system thatis implemented in a decentralized network that implements a distributedledger, the distributed ledger being configured to back one or moredecentralized identities (DID) for one or more users of the computingsystem, a method for event based transfer of DID delegated authority,the method comprising: an act of receiving an indication that a firstDID user is attempting to use a delegated DID associated with a secondDID user on behalf of the second DID user, the first DID user havingpreviously been delegated authority to use the delegated DID byoperation of one or more of a legal relationship or a legal agreementbetween the first and second DID users that provides the delegatedauthority; an act of determining if an event has occurred that haschanged the legal relationship or the legal agreement between the firstand second DID users; if an event has occurred, an act of automaticallyrevoking the delegation of authority to use the delegated DID such thatthe first DID user is no longer able to use the delegated DID on behalfof the second DID user; and if an event has not occurred, an act ofallowing the first DID user to continue to use the delegated DID onbehalf of the second DID user.
 12. The method according to claim 11,further comprising: if an event has occurred, an of causing the firstDID user to return control of all DID-related data associated with thedelegated DID to the second DID user.
 13. The method according to claim11, wherein the legal relationship is that the first DID user is aparent or other legal guardian of the second DID user, the event beingthat the second DID user has reached adulthood or that that the legalguardianship has been terminated, the second DID user thus becominglegally independent from the first DID user.
 14. The method according toclaim 11, wherein the legal relationship is that the first DID user ismarried to the second DID user, the event being that the second DID userhas divorced the first DID user.
 15. The method according to claim 11,wherein the legal relationship is that the first DID user is married tothe second DID user, the event being that the second DID user has died.16. The method according to claim 11, wherein the legal agreement is anemployment contract that states that the first DID user is an employeeof the second DID user, the event being that the second DID user hasterminated the employment of the first DID user.
 17. The methodaccording to claim 11, wherein the legal agreement is an agreement thatstates that the first DID user is able to act on behalf of the secondDID user, the event being that the second DID user has terminated theagreement.
 18. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: anact of recording an indicator in the distributed ledger that indicatesthat the first DID user's delegated authority to use the delegated DIDhas been revoked.
 19. The method according to claim 11, whereindetermining if the event has occurred comprises one of receiving inputfrom the second DID user that informs that the event has occurred orautomatically determining that the event has occurred based on the legalrelationship.
 20. A computer program product comprising one or morecomputer-readable storage media having thereon computer-executableinstructions that are structured such that, when executed by one or moreprocessors of a computing system, cause the computing system to performa method for event based transfer of DID delegated authority, the methodcomprising: an act of receiving an indication that a first DID user isattempting to use a delegated DID associated with a second DID user onbehalf of the second DID user, the first DID user having previously beendelegated authority to use the delegated DID by operation of one or moreof a legal relationship or a legal agreement between the first andsecond DID users that provides the delegated authority; an act ofdetermining if an event has occurred that has changed the legalrelationship or the legal agreement between the first and second DIDusers; if an event has occurred, an act of automatically revoking thedelegation of authority to use the delegated DID such that the first DIDuser is no longer able to use the delegated DID on behalf of the secondDID user; and if an event has not occurred, an act of allowing the firstDID user to continue to use the delegated DID on behalf of the secondDID user.